Yanely Rivas

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Bio

Yanely Rivas is a Xicana, daughter to migrant parents from Mexico. She grew up in a small agricultural town in Central California before migrating to Oregon. Through this movement across lands, Yanely was able to challenge some of the economic and racial norms she experienced and witnessed growing up. Her involvement as a high school student with the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán ( M.E.Ch.A.) began her journey into unpacking and working to uproot the systems that work to oppress communities at the frontline of resistance movements. While at the University of Oregon, she continued to worked closely with M.E.Ch.A., the Oregon Student Association, and the Multicultural Center to organize around issues affecting communities of color on and off-campus. She joined the migrant justice movement through her involvement with Causa Oregon where she worked to build support for the driver card through voter registration, storytelling, and coalition building in Lane County. After working in the labor movement for a brief moment, she joined Causa Oregon's team as the Coalition coordinator and helped build up the One Oregon Coalition dedicated to stopping all extremist anti-immigrant ballots initiatives from flourishing in our state. Her passion for community-based organizing comes from her family, the rich history of resilience in frontline communities, and understanding that one’s well-being is directly linked to the well-being of all living things around us. You can find her emerged in nature, creating art, tending to her plant babies, reading, or being active on non-work hours.